The same GPS-based technology that has been used successfully to track stolen cars, and more recently, stolen laptop computers, now is being used to locate stolen materials and equipment from construction sites, according to Norman police.
A local homebuilder, tired of having cabinetry and granite countertops disappear from his sites, recently concealed a GPS device inside a custom cabinet on a site on Prairie Dunes Court in far south Norman. When he checked the site Monday morning, he found the cabinet, along with several other items, missing.
The builder was able to locate the cabinet via the Internet by the transmissions from the GPS device, and he called the Norman Police Department to investigate. Officers went to the location provided by the builder and found a residence with items outside suggesting that remodeling of the home was in progress. Among the items visible outside were cabinets with markings on them confirming they were stolen from the builder.
Officers obtained a search warrant and returned to serve it at the suspect residence Monday afternoon. Upon their arrival, they directed the builder to page the GPS unit via the Internet to cause it to sound an audible alarm. When the victim did so, officers could hear the alarm emanating from an outbuilding on the premises.
Officers then searched the residence as well as outbuildings on the property and located a large number of cabinets, plumbing fixtures, granite counter tops, and other items apparently taken from home construction sites. In all, property associated with nine separate construction sites and involving two builders was recovered, with a total value of about $45,000.
No one was at the residence when officers arrived, and no arrests have been made, police said.
The investigation is continuing and information will be provided to the District Attorney’s Office when the identity of any suspects involved is established.
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Technology trips up thieves
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